Apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity

• US 5,354,309 A
• Filed: 10/13/1992
• Issued: 10/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Angiomed GmbH and Co Medizentechnik KG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Angiomed AG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Lindenberg, Josef, Schnepp-Pesch, Wolfram
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRING, NOELLE K
• Application Number:
  US07/959,616
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 606/198, 606/200, 623/1, 623/11, 623/12
• US Class Current: 606/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/885 comprising a coil including a plurality of spiral or helical sections with alternate directions around a central axis
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/92 Stents in the form of a rolled-up sheet expanding after insertion into the vessel , e.g. with a spiral shape in cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0019 operated at only one temperature whilst inside or touching the human body, e.g. constrained in a non-operative shape during surgery, another temperature only occurring before the operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

An apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity, such as an artery, in the bile duct, in the ureter, etc. is proposed, which in view of a problem-free, reliable and permanent widening of a stenosis is characterized by a memory alloy part having a cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour, said part radially widening at a transition temperature, which is above ambient temperature, but below body temperature, whilst maintaining a cylindrical outer contour and at a temperature below the transition temperature the diameter is smaller than that of the vessel.

Claims

1. An apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity, such as in an artery, a bile duct, a ureter or the like comprising:

a wire part having a substantially cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour made from a shape memory alloy, said part widening radially while maintaining a cylindrical outer contour at a transition temperature which is above an ambient temperature, but below a body temperature, a diameter of the cylindrical outer contour at a temperature below the transition temperature being smaller than a diameter of the body cavity, wherein the wire part with a substantially cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour has a circular knitted structure made from one single wire with at at least one end of the wire having a ball used for removal of the wire part after placement in the body cavity.

2. An apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity, such as in an artery, a bile duct, a ureter or the like comprising:

a wire part having a substantially cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour made from a shape memory alloy, said part widening radially while maintaining a cylindrical outer contour at a transition temperature which is above an ambient temperature, but below a body temperature, a diameter of the cylindrical outer contour at a temperature below the transition temperature being smaller than a diameter of the body cavity wherein the wire part is a round or flat wire in meander form, with adjacent arms of a meander passing in a substantially circumferential direction, while meander webs joining the arms are directed in a substantially axially parallel manner, the wire part is made from one wire and at at least one end of the wire having a ball used for removal of the wire part after placement in the body cavity.

10. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein:

metal elements of the apparatus are embedded in a closed jacket of tissue-compatible silicone.

11. An apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 wherein:

the outer contour is conical.

12. An apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 wherein:

the outer contour is biconical.

13. An apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 wherein:

the memory alloy is a nickel-titanium alloy.

14. An apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 wherein:

the transition temperature is between 30° and

35°

C.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein:

the transition temperature is 35°

C.

3. An apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity, such as an artery, a bile duct, a ureter or the like comprising:

a wire part having a substantially cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour made from a shape memory alloy, said part widening radially while maintaining a cylindrical outer contour at a transition temperature which is above an ambient temperature, but below a body temperature, a diameter of the cylindrical outer contour at a temperature below the transition temperature being smaller than a diameter of the body cavity wherein the wire part is a round or flat wire in meander form, having adjacent arms of a meander passing in a substantially circumferential direction, while meander webs joining the arms are directed in a substantially axially parallel manner and the meander arms have axial bends extending toward an adjacent meander arm.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein:

the axial bends of a meander arm are connected to an adjacent meander arm by joints.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein:

joining forces of the joints are greater than a bending force of a meander bend.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein:

joining forces of joints in the wire part are smaller than a tensile strength of the wire part.

7. An apparatus for widening a stenosis in a body cavity, such as in an artery, a bile duct, a ureter or the like comprising:

a wire part having a substantially cylindrical jacket-shaped outer contour made from a shape memory alloy, said part widening radially while maintaining a cylindrical outer contour at a transition temperature which is above an ambient temperature, but below a body temperature, a diameter of the cylindrical outer contour at a temperature below the transition temperature being smaller than a diameter of the body cavity and having a substantially axially extending joining web and from sides of the web extend circularly bent ribs, each bent rib extending circumferentially from the web in a direction opposite to a circumferential extension of at least one adjacent bent rib.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the ribs extend at an angle less than 90°

measured with reference to the joining web.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the ribs extend at an angle of between 50°

to 70°

measured with reference to the joining web.

16. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the outer contour is conical.

17. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the outer contour is biconical.

18. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the memory alloy is a nickel-titanium alloy.

19. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the transition temperature is between 30° and

35°

C.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

the transition temperature is 35°

C.